Sounders’ Osvaldo Alonso has red card rescinded

An independent review panel has rescinded a red card issued to Seattle midfielder Osvaldo Alonso in last week’s 1-0 road loss to San Jose. Alonso, recently returned from a thigh strain, won’t be fined or suspended for Saturday’s home game against the Colorado Rapids — a huge boost to the injury-depleted Sounders.

The red card came in second-half stoppage time against the Earthquakes for what referee Sorin Stoica told a pool reporter was “violent conduct” involving “contact above the shoulder” in a scuffle with San Jose’s Dan Gargan.

Replays showed contact was minimal, and the Sounders subsequently submitted an appeal. The review panel determined the contact “did not reach the required threshold for violent conduct, i.e. brutal or excessive force,” according to a news release from MLS.

This was Seattle’s second successful appeal of a red card this season. The other came last month after forward Obafemi Martins was ejected in a June 1 game at Chivas USA.

MLS instituted red-card reviews last season and four appeals have been successful this year.

Notes

• Eddie Johnson has been called in by the U.S. national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout rounds and could be gone through the July 28 final. Brad Evans was also on the U.S. provisional roster but wasn’t part of the mid-tournament roster moves.

• Kickoff time for Saturday’s 1 p.m. home game against the Rapids was changed earlier this season from 8 p.m.